Psychedelics and autism/pdd-nos?

[kidklmx]

Hello friends,

Haven't said much around here, because long story short: I have been institutionalized in an open psychiatric facility to get my autism (PDD-NOS) under control. Now, however, my drug use has been put in to question. Didn't really plan on sharing that with them, but it's already in my psychiatric dossier from earlier psychotherapy. I'm not going to lie about me stopping to use drugs (mainly psychedelics), and given my knowledge on the subject I've been having this endless argument. Luckily for me however, the supervising psychiatrists is well versed in drug (ab)use and has now given me the task to do a write-up on the positive and negative effects of my use. I guess he thinks I'm sweet-talking my drug use, which I'm not.

I want to do this right though, and there's little information (especially when you have to deal with pay walls) on autism and psychedelics. One thing that scares me is that from a brain volumetrics perspective schizophrenia and autism have an overlap. (especially when you look at a disorder like MCDD) Brain volumetrics has a direct control over the distribution of receptor types, so there's an inherent danger here.

So does any of you lot have experience with autism and "LSD-psychosis", or even better, can point me to a study which deals with this issue? Or maybe there's a different problem here that I'm not seeing? Your help is much appreciated


p.s If you mods think this question would be better suited for ADD then you can move it.

 

[Solipsis]

I have high-functioning ASD, and occasionally (better said recently) I was/am warned that people with PDD-NOS can go psychotic (though it wasn't a psychiatrist or psychologist who recently said that to me) - well of course nobody should think that they are immune to schizophrenia and psychosis but correlating it with PDD-NOS seems complex.

Theoretically I can imagine that a problem with communication and information flow can lead to an experience of the world that may be in some way distorted or limited and very generally speaking that may help lead to misalignment of sense of self or sense of reality. (I just read a book 'the divided self' by RD Laing about how schizophrenia and psychosis often develop phenomenologically and it really does seem that integration and development of the 'self' most of all during childhood, is a 'root' factor... my childhood was fine and I was free to become my own person)
My personal experience however is also that my ASD / Asperger's contributes a skeptical and analytical component which helps me make sense of things and keep them especially clear. It is sometimes called a pure and truthful way of looking at things, relatively uncompromised by emotional bias. I even think that this is an essential factor in extraordinary feats of memory, since memory is typically dynamic and comprised of emotionally associated definitions IMO if there is less emotional influence, things can be memorized more efficiently in higher resolution.
Back to grip on reality: as far as I can tell, apart from some of my theories and views on the matter of metaphysics and perennial philosophy (which can often be bold fields of thought anyway!) I get pretty positive feedback on my ideas and how well they connect to the 'reality' of other people... even if my ASD makes me experience the world differently from neurotypicals.
Not trying to blow my own horn, just saying I'd rate my grip on reality at least average.

I do sometimes feel like I could have had (much) more trouble if my intelligence was low, because that would mean my coping strategies and ability to learn in spite of limitations would also be limited. And all of my drug use, the existential crisis I had years ago and the obsessive intellectualizing etc could easily have been my downfall - I think I am lucky, in general and that I have the competence to get out of stressful, traumatizing and confusing states and experiences.

When I get hurt (psychologically / emotionally) or when I get acutely or chronically exhausted, I change: the more scarce or low my mental and physical energy levels get the more I have to sacrifice my coping. I gradually stop being able to connect reasonably well with other people and cannot really function (even when I am feeling fine I have ASD related dysfunction sure, but but that is mostly related to social issues, anxiety issues, getting overstimulated, insomniac, etc - not because of schizo / psychotic related issues). I basically start reminding myself of a case of classical childhood autism.

In the past I have had a psychologist who more or less supported or understood the benefit of me doing low / therapeutic doses of psychedelics such as LSD about monthly. But definitely not every therapist I have dealt with has knowledge of that type of drug or is willing to see psychedelics as anything else than a potential mental health hazard.

Could you elaborate on "LSD-psychosis"? I personally have once had a bout of drug-induced psychosis, but that was directly related to anterograde amnesia from alprazolam together with LSD. It was disturbing to realize the possible ways in which I could have gotten hurt, but I am not really concerned that I can go psychotic relatively easily... especially considering my extensive tripping experience.
I have never heard voices. I never felt paranoid unless it could be accounted for directly by things like stimulant use, sleep deprivation etc.

By the way I do think that dissociatives can be particularly dangerous to mental health.

Also I sometimes wonder how much my ASD symptoms have been exacerbated by all that (very varied) drug use and abuse. I mean there are cases of autism induced at later age, by vaccinations for example, right? I do feel that psychedelics bring everything inside a person to the surface and since I started taking drugs I feel like I am much more emphatically me, in positive and negative ways. I feel more extremely myself.

 

[kidklmx]

Bit of a late reply to such a great post, but my time on the internet here is limited and I try to spend as much of my free-weekend-time on hanging out with friends, my mother, etc. At any rate:

Well, both schizophrenia and ASD seem to be linked to cerebral specialization. I've asked my psychiatrist about drug-induced psychosis and if there is a higher rate when there's autism in play, but he couldn't think of any literature proving one or the other. He did say it posed an interesting question, so at least I get some points for being alert

With "LSD-psychosis" I was referring to the term Rick Strassman used in his case study on the adverse effects of psychedelics. He described it as an acute psychotic episode lasting maybe a day. There's a distinct difference between what he called "LSD-psychosis" (or a short psychotic episode) vs. the triggering of schizophrenia by a psychedelic experience. He carefully dissected the studies and found that in most incidents it was either someone with a predisposition, or poly-drug abuse.

I guess an extremely negative experience or far too frequent use could trigger "LSD-psychosis", but from what I can tell there is no reason to be worried at all. Responsible drug use exists, and my psychiatrists acknowledges that. The question is now if I really know what I am doing to myself, which makes sense as I haven't been able to be a part of the social machinery (school, work, etc.) for quite some time.

I have just recently (just a few months ago) found out I have PDD-NOS, so I can't really tell in what way my drug use relates to that. I do know a large part of it is my McKenna-like preoccupation with the nature of reality, and I have had a problem with derealization in the past following my psychedelic use. But I don't think that makes me more likely to get a psychotic episode at all. (right? Now I'm worried..)

A vaccination/autism link seems like Alex Jones-style paranoia to me, but I think early marijuana use could be a factor as it influences the development of the brain. But then marijuana also seems to alleviate some of the social hindrances of ASD, and there have been some studies on the positive effects of psychedelics as well. You might just have high-functioning autism because of your drug use.

 

[LandsUnknown]

Autism isn't connected to schizophrenia in the sense that an autistic person would be likely to go psychotic. However, if your autism is severe enough to warrant being hospitalized for a time, I would stay away from psychedelics because although you may not go schizophrenic, you could be running the risk of a severe sensory overload/meltdown of some kind.

 

[tacodude]

I have experience with the SAME diagnosis almost although it was NPDD-NOS.... or non-pervasive developmental disorder, but I did not like that doctor and some symptoms didn't seem to fit being mixing up identities like me with you and you with me. I have not had any success over three years of mental health as I am always assessed and treated as a "drug abuser" vs. dependent. It is very hard when ones doctor does not show them the respect and trust they deserve. IMO just don't waste your time with a psychiatrist and work with a psychologist. Look into getting a service dog for support. It is a lot of responsibility, but I bet it will be able to allow you to connect with life, be something the community can recognize, and something that will boost confidence. After 3 years and multiple people I finally have a good psychologist, but no good psychiatrist or physician.... It is really hard to accept a disorder that is still developing understanding.

As far as using psychedelics just be careful. LSD binds to dopamine and causes activity where classic tryptamines like DMT and 4-po/ho-dmt do not. Haldol and other psychotics bind and block activity in dopamine so there is obvious relation there. CBD is showing to have novel anti psychotic effects and CBD derived from hemp can be obtained on amazon easily. I personally have had great success with using CBD at 5-10 mg a day in a tincture with 0.5 mg thc to 15 mg CBD. While psychedelics can be extremely beneficial they can also be the exact opposite and destroy your life like any drug, but so much worse when one gives up on oneself, their opportunity, and their ability.

The only thing I can conclude with is only you know whats best for you, but still respect that other people have had a lot of experience and may be able to share something to help you know more about whats better for you. Psychedelics are a great tool, but they are not a clear solution to mental issues. In fact they can actually be the cause of making things worse.